Welcome back to LaaC - formerly Dann's Dain Bramage - formerly where I used to write on a regular basis. Hopefully, this is a trend away from "formerly".

We have a couple Kindle's in the house. One of them has an app from the Washington Post. They very wisely offer the first few months of reading for free to get you hooked. Then they ask for $1 for six months and then $4 a month thereafter. Thus far, it appears to be just their current stories. I haven't found a way look for past stories. But I'm working on it.

I had resisted paying anything to the WaPo. Their leftist bias shows up far too frequently. However, I have enjoyed a lot of their non-biased reporting. So we ponied up the buck to start paying for content.

And what do we get on day #1? Predictable drivel.

The first story is on the kerfuffle in Texas over the coming military exercises. For the record, I think the concern is misplaced. Mr. Obama isn't running a stealth offensive against Texas or any other state. Even if he were, the military wouldn't go along with it.

Also for the record and as the story suggests, a least part of the problem is that there are still folks that don't trust Mr. Obama based on the color of his skin. That's a problem that the folks in the GOP are going to have to solve. But is not the primary problem. Not by a long short.

From the story:

Inside, county Chairman Albert Ellison pulled out a yellow legal pad on
which he had handwritten page after page of reasons why many Texans
distrust President Obama, including the fact that, “in the minds of
some, he was raised by communists and mentored by terrorists.”

I would add that his formative years included inculcation in an anti-colonialist perspective. Mr. Obama seems to not understand the importance of American strength (economic, diplomatic, and military) on the world political stage in liberating billions of people from oppressive regimes and/or lifting them out of poverty. Our advocacy of individual liberty has had a tremendously positive influence in the world. Based on his words and his works, I don't think he appreciates of the positive influence America has had in the last 100 years.

From the story:

Obama “doesn’t take national threats seriously enough,” Ellison said,
ticking off Obama’s policies toward Russia, Iran, Cuba and the Islamic
State, as well as illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border
and the deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya.

“What he views as
alarming instead is conservatism,” Ellison said, alleging that the Obama
administration has used the Internal Revenue Service to attack the Tea
Party and other conservative groups, been hostile to gun owners, issued
what conservatives consider an illegal executive order to avoid
deporting illegal immigrants, and “been complicit in stirring riots” in
racially charged situations in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore.

Again, for the record, Benghazi probably was not all that some folks think it was. There was certainly a measure of incompetence involved, but there was also the fact that, contrary to some opinions, the U.S. does not exercise infinite control in every nation around the world.

The problem in the above has to do with illegal executive orders halting the deportations of illegal immigrants. It isn't just "conservative groups" that have a problem with those orders. So do the courts. Perhaps the reporter that wrote this story should read more.

Administration lawyers lied in court. The technical term is perjury. The only reason they aren't in jail is that our courts offer lawyers very collegial treatment.

The second article was on gun ownership in Japan. The article describes a highly regulated activity that coincides with Japan's history as well as the character of Japanese culture. It works for them and that is fine.

The problem...from the article:

In Japan, shooting is not something you do to let off steam. People
don’t go to their local ranges in T-shirts and jeans to unload a few
rounds into an Osama bin Laden target.

In which the author identifies herself as a hoplophobe with little experience with gun ranges in America. Are there Osama bin Laden targets? Of course. Do people wear t-shirts and jeans? Of course. However, the article suggests that gun ranges are loaded with people burning ammo to "let off steam". She suggests a lack of concern with marksmanship.

Nothing could be further from the truth. People that shoot guns are obsessed with marksmanship. An author that owned a gun and actually experienced life at a few gun ranges would know that and would accurately convey American gun culture.